DMW November 20, 1999

PICTURE the gloomy scene on the Yate team coach as it trundled back down the M5 on Saturday night, writes TERESA PHILLIPS.

"We let three goals in today, and a 15-year-old got two of them."

But when you've had trials with Derby and are being watched by Wolves, Blackburn and Birmingham, you're no ordinary teenager just chancing his arm.

Patrick Bannister took his second half goals like a real pro, his only concern being that Rovers built on their slender 1-0 lead and ended all hopes of a Yate recovery.

Number one arrived on 70 minutes -- a drilled 12-yarder through a crowded penalty area after Ryan Daley's right wing corner was half cleared.

The second, nine minutes later, was even sweeter. Following up Richard Ball's shot, an unmarked Bannister smacked the ball beyond visiting 'keeper John Rendle's reach into the far corner.

So, in the end, a convincing scoreline for Rovers -- but they certainly made heavy weather of this Victoria Ground fixture against a side clearly lacking in confidence and with only three league points to their name.

Rovers, without midfielder Ian Cooper, who is poised to join close friend Russell Dodd at Evesham, unsurprisingly made all the early running.

Bannister's pace soon began to cause problems for the visiting defence and two well-placed John Humphreys' free kicks deserved better finishes from Alex Winstone and Steve Ulfig.

Skipper Mark Bowater showed his defensive colleagues the right way to do it on 26 minutes.

Kevin Jinks refused to give up on a loose ball hovering around the goal-line and crossed from the left for Bowater to plant a firm header wide of Rendle's right hand.

Yate then enjoyed their best spell of the match. Craig Durnell tried his luck with a 20-yarder and the visitors won three successive corners -- the final one from Ian Howse prompting an excellent save from the assured Nore Gabbidon.

But Steve Daley's men soon regained the upper hand, creating several chances either side of the break before Bannister's late show sealed the points.

Rovers: Gabbidon, Ashley, Ulfig, Davies, Bowater, Winstone, Humphreys (sub Bytheway 89), Ball (sub Parkes 89), Bannister, Daley, Jinks (sub Moore 79).

Attendance: 255. Rovers man of the match: Patrick Bannister.